OAP drivers

burtons

fluffnutter wrote: »

Undertake them. It's not an illegal manoeuvre although it *could* in some circumstances be deemed to be careless or dangerous. If you can't easily move out to overtake them in the third lane, and you're merely keeping up with the speed of traffic in the inside lane then I see nothing wrong in undertaking.

If i haven't got the kids in the car i will overtake them and cut rite in front of them and watch their face.

fluffnutter

burtons wrote: »

If i haven't got the kids in the car i will overtake them and cut rite in front of them and watch their face.

Whilst giving them the universal symbol of good will to all other drivers - the extended middle finger :rotfl:

pimento

A sweeping generalisation, but most blokes wearing flat caps while driving are a danger. (Whatever their age.)

Francesanne

dmg24 wrote: »

I am intrigued as to what constitutes an OAP ... Is it determined by age, employment ... appearance?

Anyone over the age of 40 according to anyone under 25.

peter_the_piper

Francesanne wrote: »

Anyone over the age of 40 according to anyone under 25.

Anyone over 21 according to anyone under 13.:rotfl:

aheaton46

margaretclare wrote: »

DH's pet hate is drivers 'up his a**se' as he colourfully puts it. We see masses of examples of terrible driving habits within 5 minutes of where we live. ... Undertaking - and no, we weren't crawling along, we were keeping to the speed limit.

Your DH sounds like exactly the sort of person who is a danger on the road and should have their licence taken away.

If someone is able to 'undertake' you, then it's YOU who are in the wrong lane. The highway code says you should keep to the left. Does DH routinely drive down the middle/outside lane when other lanes are clear but you think it's OK because they are at the speed limit? Not suprising other drivers are up your a**e!

margaretclare wrote: »

Sitting at a junction with brake lights on, or in a marked lane with indicator going - no need, when nothing to indicate! If you're already in the lane you don't need to indicate that you're going there.

Irrespective of whether the lane is marked or not, a driver should be indicating until they perform the manoevure. The indicator isn't just to warn other motorists, it's to warn pedestrians where the car is about to go. Even if they are in a left turn only lane, they should still be signalling.

inca_2

Hold on, if we're going to do this thread properly can we not leave out the other categories please? I feel that this thread is fast becoming very discriminatory. We've had generalisations on the young and the old, ie, the old are all blind 5mph driving snails who can barely see over their steering wheels and can't remember their own names let alone where the accelerator and gear stick are, and the young who are all driving around texting on at least 3 different phones whilst plugging in their iPods, checking the playlists eating a McChicken whopper fillet tower using their feet to control the steering wheel. Now, we have a few categories left, women in general, women driving their husbands car that they can't handle, middle aged men, white van men, bmw/audi/jaguar/mercedes drivers.....oh and not forgetting the obligatory cyclist/horse rider category.

jackieb

I think the longer you drive the more cautious you become, because you've probably witnessed or been involved in some near-misses or mishaps. I used to be fine driving in the dark, until on 2 separate occassions I had a deer run in front of my car, both of which I hit. I've hit black ice, and been the middle car in a 5 car crash. I've had to brake many times for cars overtaking and coming towards me on the wrong side of the road. I've hit a pheasant. I've had someone close to me involved in a fatal road crash. I've had someone run me off the road on a dual-carriageway when they changed lanes without looking.This all makes most people wary, and more often than not, that's not a bad thing. Some drivers are oblivious to what might happen and just don't think about what might happen. I've been driving over 22 years now, and I was fine when I was 20, but now i'm a lot more aware of 'what ifs'.

At the end of last year a young man demolished 2 of my neighbours walls. A few weeks ago a new driver of 3 weeks rolled his car into a field just out of town.

I think everyone should have reviews of their driving, not just the elderly.

inca_2

In all seriousness I don't think that all drivers suddnely having to re-sit their tests would be a good idea, especially those who have been driving for many years. There is a reason why many people my Dad's age say they wouldn't pass their test now. My Dad isn't old he is in his 50s however he would no doubt fail a test purely down to some bad habits that he and most drivers who have been driving some years will inevitably pick up. I feel that I am a decent driver (others may disagree lol) but he is definitely a better driver, he may not hold the steering wheel in the prescribed way and he might not be a textbook driver but his road sense and reactions are dead on, he seems to have a sixth sense for predicting what other drivers will do and is fully aware of what other cars around him are doing. All of this however could still lead to him potentially failing a test by not driving in the technically assessed way. I agree with other posters who have suggested police having powers to immediately revoke a license, a decision which could then be reviewed etc following further info rather than having to go through red tape and paperwork which could potentially leave a dangerous driver on the road. If somebody is drunk the police are able to impound their car/keys this should be the same for other people who are incapable of driving safely.

jackieb

I'm not suggesting we all have to resit our driving tests. I would say i'm a better driver than 20 years ago, but that's because i'm more cautious, but to some, if i'm going 50mph when it's dark and wet and on a single carriageway, they seem to think it's okay to drive so close to me that I can't see their registration plate in the rear view mirror. They probably think i'm a doddery driver.

I do agree that police should have the power to revoke licences straight away, especially if a drunk driver has been caught red-handed or someone appears confused or unfit to drive.

Yes, there are incidents where an elderly person shouldn't be driving and has caused an accident, but there is an awful lot of younger drivers out there who are a danger as well.